Training and education of health workers remains an indispensable part of good health development in resource-poor settings. Many past training programs have failed to achieve significant gains in health outcomes because of poor selection of participants, inadequate methodology, and/or the influence of external factors in the health system or social environment. The solutions lie in better planning of "who" and "what" should be trained; effective methods based on adult learning principles; alternative methods that maximise learner input and locate training as close as possible to the workplace and its problems; appropriate inclusion of the community; and coordination with other health system interventions.